The Blue Jackets’ offseason has already taken a sharp turn, and it started with a familiar face heading out the door. Boone Jenner, the longest-tenured player in Columbus, signed a four-year deal with the Capitals last Wednesday, ending a 13-season run with the club.
Jenner leaves as one of the defining players in franchise history. He wore the captain’s “C” for the last five seasons and sits atop the Blue Jackets’ all-time leaderboard in games played (808), hits (1,809), and faceoff wins (4,560).
He’s also second in even-strength goals (161), even-strength points (339), power-play goals (44), and shots on goal (1,992). Among the other marks he owns: third in goals (212), assists (209), points (421), and game-winning goals (31), tied for third in shorthanded goals (7), and fourth in blocked shots (783) and shorthanded points (9).
In April, Columbus named Jenner its 2025-26 Community MVP, honoring his leadership, compassion, and commitment to families across central Ohio. It was the second time he received the award, after also winning it in 2019-20.
With Jenner gone, Zach Werenski now becomes the longest-current active Blue Jacket. His 642 games played rank third in franchise history, behind Jenner and Rick Nash (674), and his 135 goals are fifth all-time behind Nash (289), Cam Atkinson (213), Jenner (212), and Nick Foligno (142).
Werenski’s own situation dominated the week, too. What had reportedly been a stretch of media speculation and even a possible move to Dallas ended with him using the no-movement clause in his contract to block a trade and make his position clear: he’s staying in Columbus, at least for now.
The Norris winner will be with the team when the season begins, and a strong year could influence where things go next. He’ll be eligible to sign a long-term extension next summer.
The captaincy is now open, and president and general manager Don Waddell said during Thursday’s media availability that the club will decide on a new captain during training camp. Werenski may be the obvious name from the outside, but that doesn’t appear likely unless and until he commits long term on his next contract. Charlie Coyle, who signed a six-year extension earlier this offseason, is one possible fit, along with Mathieu Olivier.
There’s also a bigger contract question coming for Adam Fantilli. The 21-year-old center is headed toward a new deal this summer as a restricted free agent, and his resume is already substantial: 140 points, including 67 goals and 73 assists, in 213 games. He has played all 82 games in each of the last two seasons and set career highs in assists and points in 2025-26.
The offer-sheet talk around the league only adds another layer. Leo Carlsson, the Ducks’ No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and the player selected one spot ahead of Fantilli, signed an offer sheet from the Flyers on Friday.
Anaheim now has one week to match or lose him and receive four of Philadelphia’s first-round picks. Carlsson posted career highs of 67 points, 29 goals, and 38 assists last season in 70 games and helped the Ducks reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.
That naturally raised the question of whether another 21-year-old RFA center could be next, with Fantilli’s name coming up in the speculation if Philadelphia misses on Carlsson.
In Columbus, Fantilli isn’t the only restricted free agent situation to watch. Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger are also RFAs, and both filed for arbitration on Sunday, which makes them ineligible to receive an offer sheet. No Blue Jacket in franchise history has ever gone all the way through the arbitration process.
Elsewhere around the league, Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks’ No. 1 pick in the 2023 class, is also set to get a new contract this summer as an RFA.
Free agency brought a few other moves tied to Columbus, too. Along with Jenner’s departure, Mason Marchment signed a five-year deal with the Sharks and Zach Aston-Reese landed a two-year contract with the Flyers.
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, added a few pieces of their own. Erik Gudbranson is back on a one-year deal, Ryan Lomberg signed for two years, and goaltender Pheonix Copley agreed to a one-year contract.
Lomberg, who was part of the Panthers’ 2023-24 Stanley Cup team, scored nine points - four goals and five assists - in 57 games for the Flames last season. Copley spent most of the last two years in the AHL with the Kings’ affiliate, the Ontario Reign, after going 24-6-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .903 save percentage for Los Angeles in 2022-23.
Joonas Korpisalo was also on that Kings team after being traded by Columbus at the deadline.
In Other News...
Former Flames Pest Lands In Columbus With Some Awkward History
Ryan Lomberg is the latest free-agent addition to give the Blue Jackets bottom six a different edge, signing on for two years after carving out a reputation as one of the leagues more irritating energy forwards. Columbus is bringing him in to do the kind of work that rarely shows up in a highlight package but tends to matter over a long season, with the expectation that he can help drive the fourth line alongside players such as Mathieu Olivier and Erik Gudbranson.
Lomberg arrives with a familiar NHL resume that includes time in Calgary and Florida, where he was part of the Panthers Stanley Cup run in 2024. For Columbus, the appeal is obvious: pace, bite and a willingness to make shifts uncomfortable for opponents. The awkward part is just as obvious for anyone who has followed his path through the league, because this is the sort of signing that tends to come with a little extra history attached. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face Franchise Defining Adam Fantilli Decision
The Flyers recent offer sheet for Leo Carlsson has only sharpened the conversation around what comes next for Adam Fantilli, and for the Blue Jackets, it is the kind of question that can define a franchises direction for years. Columbus is already living in a league where offer sheets are no longer just theoretical, and the speculation around Fantilli has pushed fans and media to think hard about how far the team should go to keep a young center it views as central to its future.
What makes the debate so uncomfortable is the collision between rising NHL salaries and the reality of roster building in a smaller market. If the cap keeps climbing, Columbus will eventually have to navigate a contract tier it has not had to confront often, whether that ends up involving Fantilli or another core piece such as Zach Werenski. For now, there is no transaction to report, only a decision tree that gets more complicated every time another stars price tag moves upward. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face A Summer Contract Standoff They Cannot Mishandle
The Blue Jackets still have a few key summer items hanging in the balance, and the biggest ones involve three restricted free agents who matter to the clubs long-term core. Adam Fantilli remains in talks, while Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves are also without new deals as Columbus works through a tricky stretch of contract business that could shape the roster well beyond this season.
For the front office, the challenge is finding the right balance between keeping flexibility and locking in players before the market gets more complicated. Bridge-style contracts are being weighed for Sillinger and Greaves, but those talks now sit against a tighter timeline and the possibility of a decision being made outside the teams control, which is exactly the kind of summer standoff Columbus can ill afford to botch. [Read more 🡒]